Overview

• Michael Kretschmer of the CDU and Dietmar Woidke of the SPD have written to Chancellor Friedrich Merz requesting increased support for the Foundation for the Sorbian People.
• The current funding agreement provides €23.9 million annually and expires at the end of 2025.
• The Federal Ministry of the Interior’s draft proposal would extend financing through 2030 but only marginally raises allocations, leaving projects vulnerable to inflation.
• Kretschmer and Woidke say they back the draft in principle yet insist on more generous terms to sustain Sorbian language education and cultural programs.
• The Sorbs, one of Germany’s four recognized national minorities, have inhabited the Lausitz region for 1,500 years and rely on stable funding to preserve their heritage.